Every day I have spent at the Polanco firm has been extremely interesting, I have loved getting to learn more about this type of career. and getting to work alongside amazing people. Today, I started my morning scanning lots of papers. It took me a long time to get used to it, the scanner was very finicky. Occasionally it would malfunction (or I would put the papers in crooked) which would results in a slightly embarrassing and very loud error alert. However, I soon got the hang of it. I also became adept at removing staples from papers so they could be put through the scanner. Even though this task sounds (and was at times) monotonous, it was cool to be involved in such an important process. A person’s immigration story is wrapped up in their file. Their file gives all the facts about their life, including their name, language, family, country of origin, and occupation. They show their story through a lawyers scraggly notes in messy handwriting, copies of visa applications, printed out copies of exchanged emails, and their family member’s written requests for help. So, I loved being part of this process even if it was just through making copies. Throughout the day, I also spent more time entering data online, updating closed case file boxes, and preforming other small errands. I am very proud of myself that I have learned which file boxes hold names starting with each letter of the alphabet and that I have become skilled at knowing what to look for when it comes to data entry. One of my most shining moments today came when I was handed a stack of about 10 receipts to file. Usually when filing, there are a lot of papers left over because it can be almost impossible these files. At times, it seems like we are looking for needles in a haystack. But today, I was extremely proud that I was able to file all these papers in record time! I was really glad I was able to help out so effectively without needing to stop others in their work to ask for aid.
What was probably the most exciting part of my day, however, came when Mrs. Eason came to visit the firm. While I was talking with her and the person who had been overseeing me throughout this week, the Polanco law employee mentioned how grateful she was that I was there to help out. She mentioned that she didn’t want me to leave and said I was welcome back anytime. I was so glad that I had been helpful at a firm that does so much good in the world and am excited to say that I will probably come back to work with them some this summer! Overall, this was another great day at the law firm and I cannot wait to work with them more.